Blackman's Coffin

Sam Blackman #1

by Mark de Castrique

Sam Blackman is an angry man. A Chief Warrant Officer in the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the U.S. military, he lost a leg in Iraq. His outspoken criticism of his medical treatment resulted in his transfer to the Veteran's Hospital in Asheville, NC. Disillusioned with the military, grieving over the recent death of his parents, and at odds with his brother, Sam's life is in shambles. Then an ex-marine and fellow amputee named Tikima Robertson walks into his hospital room.
Tikima hints she has an opportunity for Sam to use his investigative skills - if he can stop feeling sorry for himself. But before she can return, Tikima is murdered, her body found floating in the French Broad River. Sam was the last person to see her alive.

Tikima's sister, Nakayla, brings Sam a journal she finds in Tikima's apartment. A note stuck to the inside cover reads "For Sam Blackman." The volume dates to 1919 and contains the entries of a twelve-year- old boy who accompanies his father, a white funeral director, as they help a black man, Elijah Robertson, transport his deceased relative from Asheville to a small family plot in Georgia.
The link to the present? Nearly 90 years ago, Elijah's body was also found in the French Broad River, a crime foreshadowing the death of his great-great-granddaughter Tikima.

Sam and Nakayla must delve into Asheville's rich history, the legacy of the Vanderbilts at the Biltmore estate, and of author Tom Wolfe to uncover the murderous truth.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Mark de Castrique is an author, playwright, public speaker, and television producer living in Charlotte.

Through his company MARK et al., he writes, shoots, and edits projects for a variety of clients.

His work has earned CLIO, TELLY, and EMMY awards.

Mark has scripted stories aired on PBS and commercial network affiliates, as well as created video presentations for major corporations.

Reviews

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mar 09, 2021 - 2.5 ^ 3.0 Stars - "I almost liked it"
Blackman’s Coffin (Sam Blackman #1) -
Author: Mark de Castrique
Audiobook - 08:25 hours - Narrator: William Dufris
About two weeks ago, after noting several 5-Stars reviews pop-up on my feed, I hustled over to Audible and immediately 'spent' a valuable credit buying "Blackman's Coffin (Sam Blackman #1)". Now I wish I had taken my usual path and given the book more consideration before making this impetuous decision. Unfortunately this audiobook was quite a disappointment and alas, my mini-run of 5-Stars and 4-Stars reviews has come to an abrupt end😕.

My Reading Activity tells the story:
February 27, 2021 - 16.0%
"Somewhat beguiling so far - looking forward to hearing more today"
February 28, 2021 - 33.0%
"Waiting patiently for some action, or something like it, to commence ..."
March 3, 2021 - 50.0%
"I fear my waiting patiently for some "action" is not going to be rewarded ... At the moment I think it will be lucky to make a 3-Stars rating🙄 whereas I expected more ... oh well😊"
March 6, 2021 - 72.0%
March 8, 2021 - 100%

Initially, I thought Sam Blackman, the main protag, showed some potential to become an interesting character, but as this dreary story rambled on towards its unpredictable, yet improbable, ending ('climax' is a too dramatic word), at 50% I knew it was not going to get any better.

The narration by William Dufris was competent, but his vocal interpretation was way too "folksy" in my opinion and this became an annoying aspect of his story telling.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you need to know is this a great story. 10 of 10 stars

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good mystery with excellent characters. It's nice having one with a disability & the attention paid to it. The historical aspect of the Biltmore estate & Thomas Wolf when the mystery really begins was intriguing, too. Who could be trusted kept the tension up perfectly. It certainly wasn't a stretch. Perhaps too tidily wrapped up, but that was OK. Well narrated.

Normally I'd give this 3 stars, but it gets another for being the start of a series. I think my library has the first 5. I'll be reading another soon.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mark de Castrique’s Secret Lives and Dangerous Women so, so much, so I had to read Blackman’s Coffin, the first in a different series by Castrique, this one featuring one-legged Iraq War veteran Sam Blackman. (That and needing a book from North Carolina for a reading challenge, LOL!)

The novel contains a story within a story, a story that got so much attention that it detracted a bit from the larger murder mystery. But once Castrique got past the 90-year-old journal, about one-third of the way through the book, the action really took off. So many twists, turns and absolute shockers! I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Fitzgerald Ruse, and I’m so glad we’ll be seeing Blackman’s formidable Watson, Nakayla Robertson, again, too.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Blackman's Coffin" - written by Mark De Castrique and published in 2008 by Poisoned Pen Press. "Every cop likes the bonus of solving a cold case and Elijah's eighty-eight-year-old murder was positively frigid." This book and I just got off on the wrong foot somehow and we never really made a connection. It's an earnestly written mystery that strives to incorporate all the usual ingredients of a murder investigation plus a few historical tidbits, but there were too many moving parts and a kind of plodding feel to it that I did not enjoy. Many convenient and sometimes bizarre events and circumstances were slotted together to produce an adequate story but one that did not appeal to me.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLACKMAN’S COFFIN (Unl. Inv.-Sam Blackman-North Carolina/Georgia-1907/Cont) – Ex
De Castrique, Mark – 1st Sam Blackman book
Poisoned Pen Press, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781590585177

First Sentence: I felt a hand on my shoulder , shaking me awake.

Sam Blackman was a Chief Warrant Officer in the Criminal Investigation Detachment. He is now in a VA Hospital in Ashville, NC after having lost part of his leg in Iraq. Tikima Robertson, an ex-Marine who lost part of her arm in Iraq, visits his room. She comes with sass and an offer for Sam to put his past experience to use.

After Tikima is murdered, her sister Nakayla asks for his help and presents him with a journal written in 1919 on which Tikima has placed a note saying “for Sam.”

I have become such a big fan of De Castrique’s writing. He knows how to construct a good mystery with dimensional characters, a great sense of place and a touch of humor. He manages to include ideas and observations that are important and make me think.

The story is informative without, in any way, being boring or slow. This book is particularly timely in that the protagonist is an Iraq veteran and amputee. Some of his supporting characters are residents of a senior-care facility. References to other characters include the Vanderbilts and Thomas Wolfe.

The structure of the story is fascinating; a supposed journal from 1907--a device that could have slowed the story to a crawl but, instead, gave it extra dimension--and the present day. The story’s plot was interesting and the manner in which the two time periods were linked and tied together at the end was so well done. I couldn’t identify the bad guys and enjoyed the twists that took the story to a suspenseful climax and a touching end.

I was very sorry to see his Barry Clayton series end but am much better now that we have Sam Blackman. Thank you, Mr. De Castrique, for another great book!

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery.

Started out little slow but ending was good. Interesting characters and plot. Nakalya's sister is murdered after visiting Sam at the hospital. She made a great impression on Sam. After learning the history of this black family and finding the dairy, they have to solve this mystery. Biltmore estate, emeralds and gold around the estate. I will read more from this author

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Blackman left a leg behind in Iraq, and is recuperating at the VA hospital in Asheville when he's visited by another vet who lost an arm, and who promises him help in finding a job. When she never returns, he finds that she's been murdered, and is enlisted by her sister Nakayla, who's found his name on a book in her dead sister's apartment. The book purports to be a first person account of how a young boy, his undertaker father, and an African American man to whom their family is indebted take a body to Georgia for burial. Nakayla finds out that the African American man was murdered shortly thereafter, and was her great grand-father. There's a lot of action, a hidden treasure, and love at the end of the road, which actually is just the beginning of this interesting series.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book passed the 3 chapter test with flying colors - but then it took a nose dive and I never completed it. Wasn't worth continuing when there are so many good books out there.

[Anita H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read. Started out good but became tedious and improbable halfway through.

[Elizabeth A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blackman's Coffin is the first book in a new series from Mark de Castrique, author of the outstanding 'Buryin' Barry' series. Blackman's Coffin introduces us to Sam Blackman, a former Chief Warrant Officer in the Army's Criminal Investigation Detachment who, having lost part of his left leg in Iraq, is currently rehabbing at a V.A. hospital in Asheville, N.C.

Shortly before he is set to be discharged, both from the hospital and the Army, he meets fellow vet and amputee Tikima Robertson during one of her visits to the hospital. Knowing of his investigative background, Tikima offers Sam a job with the security company where she works and promises to visit again in a couple of days. After several weeks pass with no word from Tikima, Sam follows up with her company only to learn that Tikima was murdered, her body having been pulled from the French Broad river with a gunshot to the head.

Sam subsequently receives a call from Tikima's sister informing him that her sister's apartment has been ransacked, and that she thinks she knows what the intruders were looking for... a journal from 1919 which recounts, among other things, the murder of the Robertsons' great-great-grandfather, Elijah, who was also found in the French Broad river. Tikima had hidden the journal under the dust jacket of another book and left a note on it indicating that the journal was intended for Sam's review. Feeling a sense of obligation to the woman who had reached out to him, Sam agrees to help investigate Tikima's murder.

The plot, which deftly interweaves the modern day murder of Tikima with that of her great-great-grandfather Elijah, manages to include a great deal of history about Asheville, the Biltmore Estate and Thomas Wolfe (an Asheville native, and who does factor into the story), all without ever slowing down the pace of the story. As with his Barry Clayton series, which is also set in North Carolina, the characters in Blackman's Coffin are so well written the reader immediately feels as though they've known them forever, and both the behavior and dialog of even the most bit player rings true.

If you've never read Mark de Castrique's work before, Blackman's Coffin is a great place to start.

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in the South and is a mystery set in two times, tied to two cold cases. The story starts with a wounded veteran who is trying to make a new life for himself. He meets a woman who challenges to him to make a new life working with her and transfusing his day with a positive outlook for the future. This woman turns out to be murdered and he falls into the case by happen stance and solves the mystery of her death as well as the cold cases.

[Neils Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Teddles recommendation-o yay! Now when it comes to Teddles recommendations I automatically have to give the book at least 1 star because well dear readers Ted's name is Ted and it is just such a tragic name, what a shame(lol!) BUT Ted has made some great suggestions over the years (8 Murders, The Kind Worth Killing, Man Called Ove and encouraging me to read at a young age--I didn't take that advice until much later in life) BUT Ted has also made some sub par recs (The Stand-OMG so bad, The Fountainhead-(I think I would rather read Jane Austen) Little House on the Prairie-I hate that book(s))
Blackman's Coffin, was a win for a Ted Rec though! I was unsure how I would like this book as I am not the biggest fan of series as you know especially police/detective series, but I really enjoyed the Sam and Makayla duo.
The book is set in Asheville and mystery surrounds the great Biltmore estate (I may or may not be becoming a Biltmor-ophile (is that a word?)). In the early 1900s through the diary of a young boy we learn that Elijah a blackman was murdered. Elijah just so happens to be the relative of Mekayla's sister Takema who also was murdered in present day. Sam, just lost his leg in combat, was one of the last people to see Takema. Now it is up to him and her sister to figure out who killed Takema, but also, why was Elijah killed back in the early 1900s and what does a 100 year old invalid have to do with it all?
Very clever story and I enjoyed the "coziness" of this book. De Castrique also did a great job of tying in NC elements into this novel which I always appreciate ;)
Looking forward to book #2 in this series set at Grove Park (AHHH!!!!!!)

[Lynette Hague · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery set in Asheville NC. I loved the story story line, Sam, Timika, Natalya, Harry, and the Captain. Having moved to North Carolina 11 years ago, I enjoyed reading about some of the history. I also enjoyed the connection to Gainesville, Georgia as my parents live there.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good mystery set near me. This one is set in Asheville, and it references Jamie Hill and the Hiddenite Mines, which is practically in my backyard. Really cool. I’d recommend this to those who like NC mysteries. I’ve already downloaded the next two in the series.

[Frankie Haney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing

A very nice change from what I usually select for reading. Interesting story with creative and informative characters. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Jeanne]

This book was great from beginning to end! Great sleuthing, great characters, great story! 10 out of 10.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a series, I found this novel interesting as well
a complex intergenerational plot. After wondering if I would finish through the first few chapters, the story picked up and I was hooked.
From present day back to 1919, two story arcs converge, linked by murder and theft.

[Chris]

This was one of the first purchases I made when I started using Bookbub, which has introduced me to all sorts of authors that I've never heard of before. I definitely liked Sam Blackman and his investigative prowess. He has lost much of a leg serving in Iraq, and we meet him while he is ending his rehabilitation in Asheville, North Carolina. I've been to Asheville several times and have extremely fond memories - of traversing onto and off the Blue Ridge Parkway, of visiting the Biltmore Estate, and of poking around. I got to do more poking around while reading this book - the setting of Asheville takes a front seat, as does the writing of Thomas Wolfe and great history of the early 20th century including geology and gem-mining. Excellent mystery. I'm hoping the setting stays in Asheville, I look forward to more books in the series.

[Chuck McGrady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read several of the books in this series, I figured I ought to go back and read the first one although I knew the basic plot from the later books. As with the author's other books, Blackman's Coffin is fun because I know so many of the places and the history, and I didn't figure out the twists until the author revealed them. One little quibble: the protagonist (Blackman) interacts with a Forest Service ranger, and they reference "park land." No U.S. Forest Service employee would call the land managed by them as "park land." Constituents often can't tell the difference between parks and forests, but the agencies that manage those public lands know the difference and wouldn't make that mistake in describing them.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook on some of my longer runs. It was a good story and the ending wasn't predictable. The narrator drove me crazy doing all the different voices and I feel like he had weird pauses, but the book itself was enjoyable.

[Bjorn Midtlyng · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the historical aspect of this book and the insight into the Vanderbilt family. However, the mystery part was a bit drawn out for me.

[Jane Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
This is book 1 in the series. Sam Blackman is a army vet and a recent amputee. When another army vet comes to him asking for help he is intrigued and eager to help. When his companion mysteriously turns up dead he decides he has to find out why she was killed and if the project she needed his assistance on was linked to his death.

Rating:

4/5

I really enjoyed this book and do plan on continuing with the series.

Sam is an interesting character and I liked the relationship he develops with the sister of the deceased along the way. I was also interested in the tension between Sam and his brother, who he was going to live with after his recovery. His brother plays a fairly minor role but I still enjoyed how complex their sibling relationship was.

We find out pretty early on that the project Sam was being asked to help with was to solve an old murder. The deceased was the granddaughter of a man who had died mysteriously 70ish years before. Sam is given a journal with information leading up to that death and he quickly comes to believe that the murders are related though they took place so many years apart.

Eventually, Sam is trying to solve both murders. I liked the dual timelines but in the beginning the journal entries dragged.

The mystery was solid. I didn't guess what was happening or who the murderer was until the reveal.

This book has a diverse cast with both disability rep and people of African American descent. There is some discussion, particularly in the past timeline, about the poor treatment of non-whites.

Overall this was a solid mystery read I can recommend if you are looking to start a new series. I enjoyed it and I would highly recommend the audio version.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Blackman, a former Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. military, returns from his service in the war in Iraq with his left leg missing, amputated just below his knee. He describes himself as a man who must find his way between two extremes: he feels lacking, inadequate, due to his new limitations. But he also feels a compulsion to push himself too hard, a need to prove to himself and the world that he has the same prowess as ever. That latter emotion seems to be the dominant one, for as this story unfolds, Sam is a strong and capable partner to Nakayla Robertson, as the two set out to investigate the murder of Nakayla’s sister, Tikima, also a veteran and amputee, and a woman who has made it her business to champion other “wounded warriors” as they return home.
This was a very good story to start off this series. Set in Asheville, North Carolina, the story takes place on and around the Biltmore Estate, and leads the investigators back to a possible murder in the early twentieth century. And then it seems that the novel Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe, may be a key to solving this old crime. In the author’s acknowledgments, I learned that parts of this plot were based on the memories reported to the author by an elderly man, who recounted an episode during his early life. I will definitely read more in this series.

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book through one of my free ebook sites and am now hooked on the author's style. I am especially appreciative of the way the characters are built without the usual "his hair was this color with that color eyes." By the end of the first chapter we know a great deal about two of the characters without it feeling forced. All of the characters are likable and engaging, and I appreciate how some of the people we met in the first book continue to show up in the next one. There's a sense of community being constructed rather than simply individual characters. The dialogue is fun and the atmosphere of place makes me want to visit NC to see it for myself.

Now that I'm 3/4 of the way through the third book (and already have the fourth for when this one is finished), I continue to be impressed by the author's mechanics and style. The pacing is beautiful, never feeling rushed or lagging. There have been a few typos, including the use of "shutter" when it should have been "shudder" in book two (shame shame, editors), but otherwise there is nothing to detract from the well-paced, tension-filled journey to a very satisfying conclusion. I can't wait to read more and plan to work my way through everything I can get my hands on by this author.

[Annette]

After Obreht's Inland, I really needed a light read, and this was perfect! Of course the "local" stuff was a particular treat.

You know that old saying: "'A friend helps you move. A best friend helps you move a body.'"

"We watched a middle-aged couple unload matching yellow kayaks. ..., the red-haired woman giving instructions, the curly gray-haired man ignoring them. Both seemed perfectly happy in their roles and I saw the marital wisdom of the two boats." ..... [That "curly gray-haired" really bothers me, but, as an inveterate proof reader, I'm not sure how I'd fix it....]

"Watch my little brother. He missed out on his share of common sense."

"Through erosion, or millennia of freezing and thawing, or the incomprehensible pressures of continents colliding long before this spring ever bubbled to the surface -- whatever the agent, the rock wasn't solid but split into an overlapping crevice wide and high enough for us to enter."

[Coralee Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The son of a funeral director, de Castrique drew on life experiences for his first series. Barry Clayton is a funeral director in the Appalachian Mountain region of North Carolina. In his debut novel for his Sam Blackman series, the book began based on an anecdote about transporting a body through several states during the "Jim Crow" era in the South. From this story, a book evolved telling us about the life and times of Sam Blackman. Sam is in a sense brand new. He is in the first months of learning to live with the stark reality of a leg lost to the bombs in Iraq, to the recent deaths of his parents, and to the lost of his military career. His dour mood is not helped much by a visit from a woman, Tamika Robertson, also a veteran, also missing a limb, who tells him she might have work for him-- if he got off his pity pot.

Within 24 hours Tamika is dead, her sister, Nakayla, is knocking on Sam's door, and the mystery begins. Blackman's coffin can refer to both Sam's last name and a coffin of a black man. Ninety years earlier Nakayla's great great grandfather's body was found in the same location as her sister.
Sam and Nakayla start an investigation, which leads back to the foundation of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. If this sounds like a quiet mystery, I should mention, treasure seeking is involved.

This compelling mystery moves smoothly between the early 20th century and modern Asheville.
The characters are believable, and the modern villain is not easily identified. A thoroughly satisfying beginning to a new series.

Recommended for all mystery readers. Ages middle school through adult.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book by accident and a happy accident it was!

Sam Blackman is a former army criminal investigator and figured civilian life would be a challenge for him. Losing his leg in Iraq has him learning to live life as an amputee.

While Sam is recovering in the hospital he has an unexpected visitor. Tikama Robertson has plans for Sam. She knows his background and needs his help but she is murdered before he has a chance to know exactly what she needed. Tikama's sister Nakayla enters the picture and begs Sam to help her solve the mystery of her sister's murder. Sam and Nakayla work together to piece together a puzzle going back decades in history involving gold and gems.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book and I am excited to find a new author!

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll tell any writer, I’m an easy target. I just am. I’m easy to like things, and unfortunately just as easy to dislike. This book though? I liked it. A nice set-up with two characters who seem to be rich for the telling, Sam Blackman, a former CID investigator and amputee, and Nakayla Robertson, an insurance investigator and sister to the murder victim. The setting of Asheville is nice and the basis in basic history is smart, something that works well in Indiana Jones too.

The second half was more fun than the first, lightly plotted and clips along quite well, but the dialogue occasionally leaves something to be desired. But hey, it’s a mystery book, and I’m the one who picked it up and finished it.

[Ray Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery set in two time periods in Asheville, NC. Sam Blackman, a witty and resourceful veteran-turned-investigator, has a sharp sense of humor that reminds me of Harlan Coben’s best characters. The well-developed characters and fast-moving plot make for an enjoyable read.

I felt a bit proud of living in Asheville while reading this book and that present day heroes were from here - the bad guys, not so much…. I may have enjoyed this book more than it “deserved” because so many of the places I see every day, but is that so bad? I like Sam. I like Nakayla. I like Woolworth Walk.

I had no idea there were so many books out there about Asheville and western NC, but I’m glad there are! I’ll read more about Sam and Nakayla.